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where should I release a baby wildie?

mushlett

Mama Doe
Yesterday as we were picking grass for the rabbits the kids spotted a baby rabbit swimming around in the pond, I fished it out and put it in a hutch in the garage.
It looked very sorry for itself but it had hay grass and water. It is now very lively and eating, drinking and pooping well.
Where is best to release it? Obviously near the pond is concerning. Advice very much appreciated, thanks. Xx

Update I have just spoken to wildlife aid and I am putting the adorable one in a Bush in one of the fields, I hope it goes well xx
 
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Please go back and check in 30 Mins and an hour etc etc. Also look round for it in case it panicked and hid

If it is still there then it may not know it's way back to the warren it comes from or has gone into shock or disorientation

If baby did not come from very close to where you have placed it as in within 25 m for very little ones it will not survive. Buns on their own do not survive. They have a strict hierarchy and strange buns not part of the hierarchy are not let in the wArren and will be predated

Many wildlife places have a release mantra but if you ask for figures of how many survive on own after release they cannot say.

The best wildlife places will only soft release in groups in protected areas and never solitary buns unless they have only been away for a very brief time and not handled and the warren it comes from is known

Of course it can take it's chances like any wild animal that has become detached from its group naturally

Ps I have discussed release issues with my exotics trained vet who also does wild animals and this is his position as well It is different for animals that do not rely on social groups or are predators rather than prey
 
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Please go back and check in 30 Mins and an hour etc etc. Also look round for it in case it panicked and hid

If it is still there then it may not know it's way back to the warren it comes from or has gone into shock or disorientation

If baby did not come from very close to where you have placed it as in within 25 m for very little ones it will not survive. Buns on their own do not survive. They have a strict hierarchy and strange buns not part of the hierarchy are not let in the wArren and will be predated

Many wildlife places have a release mantra but if you ask for figures of how many survive on own after release they cannot say.

The best wildlife places will only soft release in groups in protected areas and never solitary buns unless they have only been away for a very brief time and not handled and the warren it comes from is known

Of course it can take it's chances like any wild animal that has become detached from its group naturally

Ps I have discussed release issues with my exotics trained vet who also does wild animals and this is his position as well It is different for animals that do not rely on social groups or are predators rather than prey
Thankyou for your reply, oh goodness, there is a hedge just behind the pond but I'm terrified it might fall straight back in :(
I really respect your opinion so would really like to know what you would do?
Thankyou xx
 
I expect it has learnt it's lesson, so I would release as close as possible to where you found it.

I would also be a good idea to look at your pond design, as hedgehogs can have the same issue. Usually the problem is there is a lip on the pond so they lean it to drink and fall in but they have no way to climb out again. Having a shallow area they can climb out at is really important. Ideally you want something just below the water surface next to edge, or you can make a ramp with a paving slab - just depends on your pond design.
 
Hiya, I work in wildlife rescue and I agree with what Wildlife Aid said... he/she will be better off back in the wild ASAP :thumb:
 
Hiya, I work in wildlife rescue and I agree with what Wildlife Aid said... he/she will be better off back in the wild ASAP :thumb:

Only if it can be placed in a location that it knows and can find its own wArren from

To release a young rabbit where it cannot find its own warren is a death sentence. They are not like adult hedgehogs or voles or hares. All of those have territories of a sort but do not rely totally on Complex social groupings for hour by hour survival. A young strange rabbit simply will nit be allowed into a random group of other rabbits

I would place it as near as possible to where you found it but under some shelter. The hedge near the pond sounds ideal
 
Only if it can be placed in a location that it knows and can find its own wArren from

To release a young rabbit where it cannot find its own warren is a death sentence. They are not like adult hedgehogs or voles or hares. All of those have territories of a sort but do not rely totally on Complex social groupings for hour by hour survival. A young strange rabbit simply will nit be allowed into a random group of other rabbits

I would place it as near as possible to where you found it but under some shelter. The hedge near the pond sounds ideal

I am aware of that thank you.

To the OP again... if you release it near to where you found it then it will find it's way back home :wave:
 
So update, I released it under the Bush, checked on it after 30, 60 and 90 mins it was just frozen still so I have recaptured it and put it back in the garage. I sneaked up to check on it and it was eating then started running around.
What do I do now? Xx
 
Do you have a photo of it? To see what age it is. Also, is it nice and warm where it is as it may be in shock from being wet and cold.
 
So update, I released it under the Bush, checked on it after 30, 60 and 90 mins it was just frozen still so I have recaptured it and put it back in the garage. I sneaked up to check on it and it was eating then started running around.
What do I do now? Xx

Well -

I would say there are several options (although some will disagree with the final option))

You can try again but release it much nearer to the place you found it - try in the dusk or early evening - but not so late you cant find it again if its 'frozen' with fear

Or you can (if possible) leave it to refuel and re water overnight in the hutch or in a box in the hutch and then - when you are sure it is healthy - you can transport it in the hutch (if possible ) or box, to the place it was found and leave the hutch open (so it can creep out in its own time)

This is technically the same as above but gives it a chance to refuel first and then also decide whether it wants to hop off or not

Or if it stays frozen again or appears in any other way in shock, and unlikely to survive if loosed again, you can either release anyway knowing it will probably die (as it would in nature and was doing in the pond)

or you can ring the wildlife centre and see if they do soft release IN ADULT GROUPS in an area where the groups are known to be able to create successful warrens. If they say they will just take it and release it in a field somewhere I really would not bother to take it to that particular wildlife centre - personally I feel that thay must for success say they do release in groups and be able to prove the success of this strategy.

The final option I will offer is technically illegal but personally I would consider if the bun is happy with being handled and relatively young, and that is to provide it with a large enclosed area and hutch/shelter whilst it grows and also grows in confidence - with a view to it becoming semi domestic. However I know many people do not agree with this and feel that total freedom is an over arching priority.

I have three wildies - for various reasons - two hand reared and one that just 'appeared' in a city centre in the middle of a day (one suspects someones dog had caught it and they just released it) - all three live happily here - but keeping wildies is contenscious issue. Some rabbit rescues also take in wildies.

The fact that it stayed in one place for 90 mins AND allowed itself to be caught again suggests to me it is either in shock or poss unwell and I would say that release again today is unlikely to be the best thing. That is my personal opinion.
 
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I can't do photos, I would guess that it is bwn 4-8 weeks.
It's really snuggled, the pond incident was yesterday and when inside it definitely isn't showing signs of being in shock or anything it just got scared and froze still. Xx
 
Personally, I would put it back in the bush at dusk at leave it be. It's not injured so it needs to man up a bit and be a wild rabbit ;)

Good luck with what ever you decide to do....
 
Trying again this evening is a good idea, they tend to be naturally more active in the evenings. Otherwise if you give the Rabbit Welfare Association a call tomorrow (0844 324 6090) they might be able to recommend a wildlife rescue that does soft releases.
 
What's the news on the little one? May not be relevant now, but I agree with parsnipbun that there's something not right if it's easy to catch. I've released cat caught wildies many times and after a couple of hours to regroup they bound away glad to see the back of me. If they are still with you - can you find any wounds on them at all, even tiny ones?
 
Personally, I would put it back in the bush at dusk at leave it be. It's not injured so it needs to man up a bit and be a wild rabbit ;)

Good luck with what ever you decide to do....

And that is the view of a wildlife rescue?

Personally, I don't feel that the OP was given the correct advice by the rescue she approached . . . and it is certainly not the advice which would be given by my local rescue. Rabbits are territorial and to just release it would probably have disastrous consequences.
 
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